Single Parent-trip \\ Cashton

Prologue

It came as a shock to Calum when he opened his front door to a basket, in which a baby was sleeping, wrapped up in a soft baby blue blanket. It was pretty Harry Potter-like, suddenly having a baby at his doorstep, a big envelope sticking out beside the baby. But he was pretty sure magic didn't exist.

Of course Calum didn't hesitate to take the basket with the baby in, not wanting to leave it outside in the cold. It was winter after all and even if there wasn't any snow just yet, it was pretty damn cold already. He did look around quickly, trying to spot anyone who might have left this baby and rang his doorbell, but the streets were eerily empty. A streetlight even flickered, making him retreat back into his home and close the door to keep the icy wind outside.

The baby stirred and made a soft sound, but continued sleeping, making Calum coo. He wasn't much for kids just yet, but he couldn't deny this small human made his heart flutter. They were absolutely adorable and Calum almost saw a future in which he raises them, but he realized a stranger had probably left them on his doorstep in the hope that just that would happen. He was too young now to do that, though.

After putting the basket on his kitchen counter carefully, Calum pulled the envelope from it, his eyes taking in the baby once more, before he opened the envelope. There were a few papers in it, one seemed to be a birth certificate. There were also some official looking papers and two papers that were handwritten. He took those first, putting the rest down for later.

Calum leaned on the counter, just beside the baby, letting his eyes find the first words of the letter.

'Dear Calum'

The dark haired boy let his lips part, confused as to why this letter was directed to him specifically. Did whoever that dropped the baby know he lived here? Was this some kind of trick to make him feel a connection with the baby so he would keep them? Because, even if he wasn't planning to at first, he was becoming attached already, he knew.

'I know this might come as a shock, but it's my only option at the moment. I'll explain why later on in this letter, but for now you need to know the most important part of this all;

The baby in the basket is yours.'

And now Calum was even more confused. The baby was his? But it couldn't be. He hadn't ever had sex without a condom and heck, if he had gotten someone pregnant, they would have told him, right? He might not have been easy about it at first, because really, he was in his last year of high school right now, still lived with his parents and he deemed eighteen too young for kids. But if it was really his, he would care for it either way. That was just the kind of person he was.

'You might be confused as to how, because to answer the question you will undoubtedly ask: yes, we were safe. I don't know how it happened either, but all I know is that he's yours. He can't be anyone else's, but if you still have your doubts, feel free to take a test.'

It sounded logical, a test, and Calum would try one for sure. Of course he had to know if this baby was really his or not. He was still very confused on how it could have happened in the first place and he wasn't sure who had send him this letter just yet, so he was sceptical, obviously. And even when he had figured out who wrote this letter and mothered this baby, he would probably still want to take that test. Just to be sure 100%, before throwing his life around to take care of them.

'Next to that, I want to clear up why I'm writing this letter and haven't called you or at least texted. The thing is, easily said, I'm dying. And by the time you receive this letter along with our baby, I won't be here anymore at all.'

Even if Calum didn't know yet who it was that had written this letter, he felt the pain. Not only for the person who wrote this, but also for the baby. Being motherless is something he couldn't even imagine for himself being eighteen, let alone for a baby to grow up like that. It made him sad to know and he read further with a heavy heart, without thinking, reaching out for the baby's small hand and carefully taking it between his fingers.

The letter was long and sad, the person explaining why Calum was the one to receive the baby (being the father being an obvious reason) and what had happened to themselves that caused them to die. There were also some sweet words near the ending, the person reminiscing moments they had shared. Calum felt his heart flutter again when thinking back, clearly remembering the girl who he had shared those moments with.

Lillian Rose van Thorn.

The girl whose name sounded posh, but was anything but by character. She was a complicated person, her character having multiple sides, but Calum had learned to love them all when he had dated her, before breaking it off around one and a half year back. It was a pretty mutual thing, Lillian moving and too many fights -most of them silly, if he was honest- breaking them apart anyway.

He clearly remembered the last time they had done it, figuring that must have been the time something went different from normally. It had been sweet love that had been shared that night, them having just made up after yet another fight. The next morning, all hell had broken loose and Lillian had left him alone. They broke up not long after, deciding it wasn't working, and she moved a month later. Calum had been sad about it, having started smoking and ditching, basically taking a wrong path.

His sister had helped him back up though, his grades going up again and the cigarettes no longer a part of his inventory. He craved them still on occasion, but he never gave in. He remembered how his sister would be disappointed in him, for giving in, and he would start thinking about other things, distracting him from the craving.

And now here he was, about to graduate with good grades, planning to take up on college and going for a bright future. Or that's what he planned. But now, holding this letter that told him the baby was his and that he had to sign the papers to become the baby's legal guardian, or else put it up for adoption, it changed everything. Though, knowing it was his –possibly- he couldn't just put the baby up for adoption. But he couldn't exactly take the baby in either. He didn't have the proper conditions for it, still living with his parents and being in school, soon in college.

Calum had been deep in thoughts, going over every possible option, when a sudden cry snapped him out of it. He looked over at the small human in the basket, frowning when seeing they were the one to make the sound. A strange sense of protection fell over him, wanting to take the baby out of the basket and hold it close, shush it with sweet words until they would calm down again.

And that's what he did, lifting them up and putting an arm beneath the baby's bottom to keep them up, a hand on the back of their head. He moved them up and down carefully, softly speaking sweet words. The baby tried to grab Calum's shirt with their tiny hands, the crying slowly dying down and eventually being reduced to soft sniffles that almost made Calum coo again.

"That's it." The dark haired boy mumbled, moving a hand to pick up the official birth certificate and taking everything on it in. His and Lillian's names were at the bottom, his under 'father' and Lillian's under 'mother', making him sigh quietly, before smiling as he took in the name. "Aiden Jace."

The baby boy in Calum's arms made a soft sound at the name, making Calum smile even more. He already felt the love for the small human being in his arms, even if it had been just a little bit.

And in that moment, Calum was pretty sure he could do this, no matter if it would prove to be a challenge. It was a challenge he would take.